Use of religious language in every day speech

[rubikscube]

The vast majority of people, atheist, christian and agnostic seem to say things like 'oh my god' and 'jesus christ' to express shock. Myself included. However, I've come to see it as a bad thing, not least because I'm claiming god as my own. I was wondering what other people here thought about it.

To be honest, I don't expect people to start thinking I'm religious because I say oh my god, and I'm aware that some religious people think it is taking the lords name in vain (and thus it follows that if I were intending to offend xtians, I should use it more). Its more the fact that religion seems to be so ingrained in so called secular societies that it seems secular.

As a matter of principle, I now try not to say it, but I've struggled to find anything to replace it with. My immediate replacement for 'oh my god' is 'jesus christ', which isn't any better. 'Oh my gosh' seems weird to me, as does 'oh my goodness'. Right now, I'm settling on 'oh your god'.

[Napoléon]

I just tend to say "Shit". Or maybe sometimes "Fuck", if I'm really shocked I'll say "Cuntflap!".

But yeah, swearing in my opinion is far more satisfying and comes easier than "oh my god" or "jesus christ".

[Ziploc Surprise]

People used to say things like "god's speed". It has died out as the reference became outdated. I assume all religious language will die out sometime after religion dies out (if religion will indeed die out).

[Cyberman]

People used to say things like "god's speed". It has died out as the reference became outdated. I assume all religious language will die out sometime after religion dies out (if religion will indeed die out).

Gods have always been invoked in cursing, with the curses themselves becoming absorbed into the language. "God's bodkins" became the wonderfully mediaeval "Odd's bodkins"; "God's truth" evolved into "Strewth"; "(May) God blind me" gave us "Corblimey" or just plain "Blimey"; and so on. A particularly lovely example is "By Our Lady", which became "Bloody". Then there's all the euphemisms for Jesus and the devil, such as Jeepers and the deuce (which is a great name for an indie rock band).

So it's a bit more complex than just saying "Oh fuck" in place of "Oh God". I'm all for raising awareness of unconscious religious phraseology, however, at least where practical to do so; I don't bless someone for having survived a sneeze, for example.

[Erinome]

Doesn't bother me.

[Oldandeasilyconfused]

People used to say things like "god's speed". It has died out as the reference became outdated. I assume all religious language will die out sometime after religion dies out (if religion will indeed die out).

Gods have always been invoked in cursing, with the curses themselves becoming absorbed into the language. "God's bodkins" became the wonderfully mediaeval "Odd's bodkins"; "God's truth" evolved into "Strewth"; "(May) God blind me" gave us "Corblimey" or just plain "Blimey"; and so on. A particularly lovely example is "By Our Lady", which became "Bloody". Then there's all the euphemisms for Jesus and the devil, such as Jeepers and the deuce (which is a great name for an indie rock band).

So it's a bit more complex than just saying "Oh fuck" in place of "Oh God". I'm all for raising awareness of unconscious religious phraseology, however, at least where practical to do so; I don't bless someone for having survived a sneeze, for example.

Indeed and don't forget three extra words we were not allowed tosue at school; Gee (Jesus) Golly and Gosh . (God)

Being good little Catholic boys ,we would never knowingly blaspheme,so we said 'shit' or 'fuck',and if really peeved ; "cunt ", "cunt hooks", or "dead cunt".I still do,except rarely say "shit" any more; it''s vulgar.The other words are merely coarse and perfectly acceptable around adults.( unless speaking to my mother or a police officer)

[Aegrus]

I tend not to notice when people say religious phrases in the place of profanity. I tend to do it myself, though more when I'm shocked than when I'm angry or disgusted.

I do, however, know people who get offended by anyone "taking the lord's name in vain", so I'd say it really just depends on the person.

It seems like very religious people actually use those terms less than more secular people, but maybe I'm wrong.

[KichigaiNeko]

I like ...and use...

'Oh My Ghey God'

'Wholly snapping Duck Dung'

'WTF' Just the letters

'Oh My DNA'

'Fardling 'ell'

And the gratuitous use of the word 'Fuck'

I have to get VERY angry or frustrated to use whole sentences....

Hope this helps

[The Grand Nudger]

The use of such language is impossible to avoid, as it has become an integral part of almost every language that it has touched. Consider the phrase "goodbye" in english or spanish (adios). The etymology of both of these words (essentially the same phrase in both common usage, origin, and language) contains a reference to god. "God be with you (good bye)" and "With/To God/I commend you to god (adios)".

Language is a practical thing, it gets bent by it's usage. Phrases like "Jesus Christ" or "Oh my god" have come to mean something entirely different than an invocation, or even leveraging of a proper name or nouns. They're short, expressive, and can be used in conjunction with visual ques to convey a wide range of emotions, to communicate many different messages. As such they're extremely useful (just like "fuck"). It's likely that these phrases will change over time (perhaps becoming unrecognizable from their source) or that we'll find replacements for them both. I see nothing wrong with this.

[JollyForr]

It doesn't really bother me. I say it. You hear things like 'God knows', or 'Oh my God', but it doesn't really mean it has any religious meaning. It's just an expression, and even if it did have religious undertones it wouldn't really bother me.

You could instead say something like 'Dawkins knows', or 'Oh my Dawk.'